Jamal Murray reminded the Clippers and the rest of the NBA he has a playoffs mode with his first 40-point playoff game since the 2023 championship run Tuesday at Ball Arena.

Here are three takeaways from Denver’s 131-115 win in Game 5:

1. With the Thunder hanging out in Oklahoma City waiting on a winner, it’s in the Nuggets’ best interest to finish things Thursday night at Intuit Dome. It won’t be easy. The Clippers have a legitimate home-court advantage, but the Nuggets have experience winning in Inglewood thanks to Game 4. Denver’s best shot to beat the Thunder, which swept the Grizzlies in convincing fashion, is to be as rested and healthy as possible. That means winning Thursday and not letting this series go to a Game 7, as there’s only one day off between games the rest of this round.

2. The Nuggets’ Game 5 win was especially impressive considering Nikola Jokic’s shooting night. Jokic started the third quarter with 13 points on as many shots, but Denver still led by 16. The Clippers even used James Harden as the primary defender on Jokic for much of the second half. Jokic scored just two points in the third quarter and didn’t score in the fourth quarter. He still managed a triple-double with 13 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

3. David Adelman made the right call removing Jalen Pickett from the rotation in Game 5. The two days off between Game 4 and Game 5 gave Murray ample time to recover after playing 42 or more minutes in three of the first four games of the series. Russell Westbrook also had fresh legs after missing Game 4 due to left foot inflammation. Murray and Westbrook scored efficiently, finishing with 43 and 21 points, respectively. Pickett didn’t provide much offense in the first four games, scoring four points on six shots across 29 minutes of playing time.